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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Where are Ireland's Crown Jewels? New Mail podcast delves into one of history's greatest unsolved mysteries
Podcast All episodes Play on Apple Spotify On the latest episode of the Mail's Queens, Kings & Dastardly Things podcast, historian Kate Williams and Royal biographer Robert Hardman investigate one of Ireland's greatest unsolved mysteries. In 1907, Ireland was part of the British Empire and followed the customs of the British monarchy. One such custom was the use of Crown Jewels, important ceremonial treasures, to bestow Knighthoods upon members of the Irish aristocracy. Ireland's Crown Jewels were kept safe in Dublin Castle by The Order of St Patrick on behalf of Edward VII, the King of Britain at the time. The collection comprised a diamond pendant and badge, five gold collars, and nearly 400 precious stones. The Order of St Patrick's jewels, as they are known, have an estimated value today of nearly $20 million. Despite the castle being under constant surveillance, the treasures went missing on July 6, sending Edward VII into a fury and creating an Empire-wide manhunt. Even though financial rewards were offered for information on their whereabouts, the Crown Jewels remain missing to this day. Search for 'Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things' now, wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released every Thursday. The Vanishing of the Irish Crown Jewels Edward VII was scheduled to visit Ireland in July 1907 to bestow a knighthood upon Lord Castletown. The jewels would have been used in the ceremony. Historian Kate Williams told the podcast how the jewels were kept secure for the upcoming Royal visit. 'They were kept very carefully', Williams said. 'A man called Sir Arthur Vickers, The Ulster King of Arms oversees them. They are held at Bedford Tower in Dublin Castle. 'They seem very secure – they're in a strong room, alongside Ireland's Sword of State. There are only seven keys to get into the tower and two keys to enter the strong room. Everyone thinks the security is foolproof.' Williams then explained how the theft was discovered and the accusations surrounding the character of Sir Arthur Vickers, the treasure's protector. 'The jewels are found to be missing on July 6 – they haven't been seen since the 11th of June. 'Vickers was accused of being careless. Many people began to claim that he had given them access to the tower and that there were various security lapses. 'On one occasion, Vickers had gotten drunk, and a young man had taken the keys to the safe. He then stole the jewels and sent them back to Vickers by post as a joke.' The heist was carried out completely undetected. Due to the King's public anger and huge media speculation, a strange cast of characters began offering to help locate the stolen treasure. 'Psychics say they know where they are, and people begin hunting fruitlessly around graveyards. 'Arthur Conan Doyle, the Sherlock Holmes author, offers to help. He's a distant cousin of Vickers.' The police launched a nationwide investigation to find the jewels. A reward of £1000 was offered for information, worth around £80,000 today. The authorities' prime suspect was Francis Richard Shackleton, the brother of famous Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. Williams told the podcast why suspicions centered around him. 'Apparently, he was in great financial difficulty', the historian said. 'As Dublin Herald of Arms, he had gotten hold of a key to the safe and had made a copy. The problem for the police was, he had a good alibi. 'He wasn't actually in the country at the time of the robbery.' Shackleton later defrauded an aristocrat, Lord Ronald Gower, of his fortune in 1910 and was sentenced to fifteen months' hard labour for the crime. One theory states that the reason why the heist was never solved was that Shackleton, a known homosexual at a time when it was illegal, had used Dublin Castle for liaisons with high-profile figures in Irish society. Further investigations into his character were abandoned because pursuing that line of inquiry could have implicated members of the aristocracy in illegal sex acts at a time when British rule over Ireland was fiercely challenged. The mystery of the jewels of St Patrick's remains unsolved.
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The Crown Jewels Heist: New Mail podcast tells the story of 'one of the greatest crimes of all time'
On the latest episode of the Mail's 'Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things' podcast, royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Kate Williams discuss the figure of Colonel Blood and his audacious plot to steal the Crown Jewels. The episode is the first in a three-part mini-series that tells the stories of crooks who have attempted to steal priceless treasures from the British monarchy. The most prized objects in the possession of the Royal family are the Crown Jewels, which are now on permanent display at the Tower of London. The treasures are a collection of ceremonial regalia used in the coronations of new Kings and Queens. The collection comprises such objects as St. Edward's Crown, headwear made of 5 pounds of solid gold, and The Sovereign's Sceptre, a golden rod topped with The Great Star of Africa, the largest clear-cut diamond in the world. They are estimated to be worth anywhere between £3-5 billion, although the jewels' precise value is nearly impossible to calculate, due to their historical and cultural significance. Much of the collection was created after 1660, with the restoration of the British monarchy and the death of Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell sold or destroyed much of the original Crown Jewels, believing them a vulgar display of wealth which conflicted with his fanatical religious beliefs. A decade after the new jewels were debuted for the coronation of Charles II in 1661, a dastardly thief known to history as Colonel Blood hatched a daring plot to steal them. Colonel Blood and The Crown Jewels Heist Born in Ireland in 1618, Thomas Blood was a soldier and aristocrat who fought alongside the monarchists during the English Civil War. Noticing the tide of war change, Blood switched sides to Cromwell's roundheads and was greatly rewarded for his change in allegiance. Podcast co-host Robert Hardman described Blood's early adulthood: 'Blood called himself a colonel although there is no proof he was one. 'He jumped ship to Cromwell during the civil war and was rewarded with thousands of acres of land in Ireland. 'With the restoration of the monarchy, Blood lost his lands and decided to become a full-time rebel. He was part of a plot to seize power in Ireland. 'The plot failed, and all the ringleaders were sent to prison. Some however escaped and top of the list of wanted men was Thomas Blood. 'Over the next few years, everyone was looking for him – but no one knew where he was. He became a sort of Scarlett Pimpernel figure and developed something of a legend around him.' In 1671, Blood remerged in London, posing as a vicar called Dr Aleph with an actress, pretending to be his wife, on his arm. He befriended a man called Talbot Edwards, who was the 77-year-old guardian of the Crown Jewels. 'Aleph and Edwards grew close', Hardman explained. 'They start discussing a possible marriage between Edward's unmarried daughter and Aleph's unmarried nephew. 'On May 9, 1671, Aleph visits Edwards with this nephew and asks to take a look at the Crown Jewels. Edwards accepts – and it is revealed that Aleph is the leader of an armed gang of robbers. 'They whack Edwards, the poor old warden, over the head with a mallet and proceed to run off with as much as they can.' Historian Williams added: 'One of the gang members sticks a Golden Orb down his breeches, and Blood grabs St. Edwards Crown and smashes it – trying to squash it in half.' Running away slowly with the Crown Jewels hidden beneath his clothes, Blood was tackled and apprehended by Talbot's son. His secret identity revealed in prison, Blood requests a personal audience with the King and somehow convinces the monarch to pardon him and return his lands in Ireland to him. Historians speculate that because of Blood's legend, seen by the peasantry as an Irish freedom fighter, it was politically expedient to forgive his crimes. Heralded as the ultimate rouge until his death in 1680, historian Williams told the podcast an anecdote to show how widespread his infamy had become. 'There comes this view that Blood can cheat all things', Williams said. 'When he dies, people exhume the body to check he's dead – due to how many rumors there were about him. 'He could cheat most things – but he couldn't cheat death.' To hear more stories like this one, search for ' Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things' now, wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released every Thursday.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE How did a would-be assassin of Queen Victoria avoid the death penalty and become an Australian journalist? New Mail podcast follows the long history of deadly plots against Britain's most famous monarch
On the latest episode of the Mail's 'Queens, Kings & Dastardly Things' podcast, Royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Kate Williams look back at the 7 assassination attempts survived by Queen Victoria, the most of any monarch in history. Prince Albert, Victoria's husband, once asked of his often-targeted wife: 'What's all this mania with Queen shooting?' Across her 63-year reign, Queen Victoria had a record 7 brushes with death, the first when she was just 21 years old and the last as a 64-year-old Empress of a globe-spanning state. Her first would-be assassin, Edward Oxford, was a teenager when he attempted to murder the Queen. On the podcast, Hardman and Williams tell the bizarre story of his life and the lives of the many men who botched the killing of Britain's most famous monarch. Edward Oxford and The First Assassination Attempt Against Queen Victoria The year was 1840 and Queen Victoria, pregnant with her first child Vicky, took a relaxed carriage ride through Hyde Park. A waiter, Edward Oxford, just 18 years old, emerged from the crowds of people who came to the park to witness their new Queen, brandishing two pistols. His first shot missed, but as historian Williams explained, this is all part of his plan to alter the course of British history. 'Oxford's plan was for the carriage to stop and for those onboard to investigate the noise from the first shot. That would present a moment for him to fire at the Queen directly', Williams said. 'The carriage stopped, and Oxford takes the other gun out – but he's not the best shot in history. We see a lot of these early Victorian shooters can't really use a gun. 'He's only a few feet away but somehow, Victoria is unhurt. The crowd then grabs Oxford, and he's arrested.' It later transpired that Oxford was a part of a 'secret society', as Williams calls it, known as Young England. It is assumed he was seeking notoriety within the group by murdering the young Queen. Young England espoused an extreme form of Conservatism, desiring a stronger monarch with greater influence over politics. Oxford was then tried for treason, with the penalty for the crime in the 19th century being execution by hanging. He managed to escape his fate however, as Williams said: 'During the trial, when they looked at the scene of the crime, they can't find any bullets. 'So, the court thinks he just shot gunpowder at the Queen – and it finds him not guilty on grounds of insanity. 'Victoria doesn't like this: she describes it in her journal as very stupid and doesn't believe Oxford was mad.' After three years in Broadmoor Hospital, Oxford is released and sent to Australia, where he manages to rebuild his life. 'Oxford flourished in later life', Williams told the podcast. 'He married a widow with two children. He becomes a church warden, and he gets a job as a journalist.'
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE What SHOCKING event led Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini to send letters of 'congratulation' to King Edward VIII? New Mail podcast launches delving into the dark history of Royal assassination attempts
On the latest episode of The Mail's 'Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things' podcast, historian Kate Williams and Royal biographer Robert Hardman delve into the storied and shocking history of Royal assassination attempts. From Queen Anne's narrow escape from the hands of a kidnapper to Queen Elizabeth II's unfazed response to an attack on her birthday parade, the pair of experts look across modern history and pullout the reactions of various Royals to staring death in the face. Despite only reigning a mere eleven months before his infamous abdication, Edward VIII was the survivor of a lesser-known 1936 assassination attempt that would see the monarch receive personal messages of congratulations from dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. The King played little part in his survival and if it was not for the quick thinking of a lone female bystander, the history of the Royal House of Windsor would have taken a very different turn. The Failed 1936 Assassination of Edward VIII By the summer of 1936, Edward VIII had only reigned for seven months. Surrounded by his entourage, the King was perched on top of a horse, riding through London 's Hyde Park. The monarch had visited the park on his typical Royal duties, reviewing an army regimental ceremony. Crowds lined the streets to catch a glimpse of their relatively new King. Amongst the throng, was George McMahon: a fraudster and gunrunner who had ties to fascist Italy. He held a folded newspaper, which between the pages concealed a revolver meant to be used on the King. McMahon's surprise attack would be thwarted, however, but through an unlikely source. As Royal historian Kate Williams describes: 'The King goes past and there's this sightseer, a rather astonishing lady called Alice Lawerence, standing next to McMahon. 'She thinks this man with his rolled-up newspaper is acting a bit strangely. McMahon starts getting agitated as the King approaches them. 'Realising that he's going to do something, Alice grabs his arm and shouts out. A policeman then turns around and punches McMahon in the arm, which sends his weapon flying. 'Another member of the public then punches McMahon in the face and the Police are able to cart the man away – but it's all thanks to this incredible woman, who was so fast with her reactions.' Surviving his first assassination attempt as King, Edward VIII was summarily showered with praise in the press. Leaders of nations from across the world also reached out, some more welcome than others. 'He got a telegram from Germany's dictator Adolf Hitler', historian Williams told the podcast. 'Who wrote – 'I have just read about the abominable attempt on the life of your majesty and offer the heartiest congratulations on your deliverance from this danger.' 'Mussolini also wrote, telling his charged affairs in London to present his heartfelt felicitations at the king's escape from danger.' McMahon later stood trial for unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition with the intention to endanger life. The would-be assassins' motives remain a mystery. Scotland Yard described him as a disgruntled Irish journalist who wanted to hurt the King to disgrace then Home Secretary Sir John Simon. However, it has been reported that McMahon took cash from fascist Italy in exchange for information on British armaments. McMahon himself claimed in court he had been put up to the assassination by an unnamed foreign power. This claim was refuted by the judge as an attempt to muddy the waters of his own culpability in the crime.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Queen Elizabeth Once "Hid Behind a Bush" With Her Corgis to Avoid This "Viper" Dictator at Buckingham Palace
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Queen Elizabeth was known for her patience and unflappable personality, and it took a great deal to rattle the late monarch. But in 1978, that changed when Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena, were invited for a state visit by the British government. Official photographs from the trip show stiff smiles and an awkward carriage ride through London with the late Queen, and behind the scenes, it was equally uncomfortable. Ceaușescu might've been treated with the pomp of a ceremonial royal welcome, but according to a new podcast, he was arguably the worst palace guest in modern royal history. Historians Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams unveiled the story in the Daily Mail's "Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things" podcast. During the two-part episode—titled "Royal Houseguests From Hell"—the duo described past nightmare visits, including President Mobutu of Zaire, whose wife illegally brought a dog into the U.K. Ironically, canines came up again during the Ceaușescus' visit. Hardman described Nicolae Ceaușescu as "the psychopath running communist Romania in the Cold War period." The historian noted that Nicolae and his wife, Elena, ruled over "Romania with a rod of iron." Before the couple arrived in London, Queen Elizabeth got a call from the president of France at the time, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who'd recently received the Ceaușescus—"and he said they trashed the place," Hardman shared. "It was as though burglars had moved in and torn the place apart. Not only that, but they hacked great holes in the walls because they were convinced they were being bugged," the historian continued. Apparently, Queen Elizabeth was so upset by the story she said, "If it moves, I want it taken out of the Belgian Suite," referring to the opulent rooms where guests stay for state visits. "So finally they arrive and everyone is just dreading this couple, and they don't disappoint," Hardman continued. "They're utterly humorless and charmless from the start." Queen Elizabeth disliked them so much that, in an act of "quiet rebellion," avoided bringing out the good wine during their visit. She also made a "dig" with the menu by referencing the Romanian royal family in a fish dish, which was banned from being mentioned by the Ceaușescus. Elena—who was called "a viper" by the British ambassador in a letter to the late Queen—and her husband would go outside in the palace gardens to have any conversations because they were convinced they were being bugged, the historian added. Sir Antony Jay told Hardman that Queen Elizabeth once revealed the extreme lengths she went to avoid the dictator and his wife. "When the Ceaușescus were there, she'd been out in the garden walking the corgis as she liked to do, and at one point she saw them coming the other way," Hardman said he was told by Jay. Queen Elizabeth "found them so objectionable, so charmless, she had absolutely nothing to say to them," Hardman continued, adding for "the only time in her entire life, she hid behind a bush in her own garden in order to avoid her houseguests. They were that bad." "The whole visit was a sham," Hardman said, adding that the huge aviation contracts that were the point of their trip never materialized. Just over a decade later, in 1989, the dictator and his wife were overthrown and executed by a firing squad.
